Cape Cod loses one of its own

The nation woke up Wednesday morning to the news that Sen. Edward Kennedy succumbed late Tuesday night to his battle with brain cancer. But Cape Codders felt a deeper heartache.

Jen Ouellette

The nation woke up Wednesday morning to the news that Sen. Edward Kennedy succumbed late Tuesday night to his battle with brain cancer.

But Cape Codders felt a deeper heartache.

“I think for most people Senator Kennedy was a political figure, but to us he was a friend and a neighbor. Between his sister and him, when they had their choice where to spend their last days, they chose here. They could have picked anywhere in the world,” said Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce CEO and co-founder of the Hyannis JFK Museum, Wendy Northcross.

Kennedy was diagnosed with brain cancer on May 20, 2008, after suffering a seizure and being rushed to Cape Cod Hospital the previous weekend.

Despite his deteriorating health in recent months, Kennedy was often found sailing around Nantucket Sound in the Mya, likely helping him find solace at sea.

“He’s just a real guy. He would come to the Cape and just hang out, go sailing in the Figawi. He loves the Cape so dearly because we didn’t glamorize him while he’s here,” said Northcross.

Barnstable Town Manager John Klimm said Wednesday Edward Kennedy was just a part of the fabric of Cape Cod.

“For many of us who were born and raised here, he was just an integral part of our lives whether it was seeing him in church, at the Melody Tent, at the Pops by the Sea concert or out sailing around Cape Cod.”

Because the senator had such love and affection for the peninsula he retreated to, he never forgot to fight for the people who called it home.

“Ted Kennedy was such an important guy on the local scene. He’d come to rallies on election eve,” said John Ohman, Dennis representative to the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates.

And despite his political power and famous name, Edward Kennedy was always just a home-town boy.

“He was bigger than life, but he was a very accessible guy. He really had such a sense of what everyday people need,” said Cathy Ohman, former president of the Cape and Islands Democratic Council.

Lynne Poyant, former executive director of the Hyannis Area Chamber of Commerce, ran the JFK Museum for 9 1/2 years and often would escort the senator through the museum with family, friends and guests.

“He was very giving of his time and when JFK Jr. passed, the museum had opened extended hours. We had over 8,000 people come through the museum and over 400 media outlets from all over the world,” recalled Poyant.

“Three weeks after the funeral in New York, the senator requested to speak with the volunteers at the museum. No press was allowed. It was a private moment for the senator and his wife. He came to thank the volunteers for the time and dedication they had offered at a very difficult time.

“For him to go out of his way to thank the volunteers, I just thought that was incredible,” Poyant said.